Celestial Sniper of the Hunt (open)

Chapter - 26 | I'm... Alive?

[Hey Lads and Lasses! So... still alive. Sorry for that cliffhanger, was completely unintentional. Anyways here ya gan.]

[- Pringles out!]

I came to, an unknown amount of time later, in a bed, in a place I definitely did not recognise. Well, probably because my eyes were covered by some white cloth.

"Bandages." My brain realised. I gave a brief sigh of relief. This meant that I wasn't in the underworld. Maybe. Like, 87.2% sure.

I tried to get up, but quickly regretted that choice and winced. My back and side hurt like hell, and apparently my eyes didn't like me wincing and decided to hurt as well. Defeated, I decided to stay down. That's when I was able to focus and heard muffled voices.

"Come on! Just let me in and see him!" Demanded a rather familiar female voice.

"Sorry sis, but no can do." Said the voice of a man.

"Please! Just five minutes?"

"No! This is straight from aunt Hestia herself. If you've got a problem, then go talk to her."

"Grrrrrrr FINE!" Said the bitchy voice, followed by the sound of someone stomping away.

There was a sigh then the sound of a door opening and closing. I heard footsteps echoing and getting louder. This meant that:
A. I was in a large room.
B. Someone was approaching.
I quickly summoned Silex and braced myself. Then there was the sound of curtains being drawn.

"Ah, good. You're awake." Came the calm voice of the man that was just talking. "Please, put your knife away." I heard the curtains close.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"Welcome to the temple of Apollo, I'll be your doctor today."

I took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Okay then. Why am I here?"

"Well normally we don't allow mortals here, but both your patron and your "employer" managed to convince me." The doctor replied.

"Great." I replied somewhat sarcastically. "So Doc, how am I recovering?"

"The arrow didn't hit anything vital so that, as well as the claw mark on you back, should heal up fully, minus scars, within a few days. Which leaves us with the elephant in the room."

"Which is?"

"You should not be alive." He replied in a serious tone.

This took me by surprise.

"I'm sorry but, WHAT?!" I shouted.

"You gazed upon a gods true form. That feat has been achieved by only one other person. However, they were a demigod and were pulled from the brink of death almost instantly. You on the other hand, merely lost your vision."

I groaned. "Great, I did something improbable again. So how long until I get my sight back?"

"My friend your eyes have turned white. Honestly my best guess is that it'll take a few years to fully heal."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.

"BUT, there is an alternative. I can heal one of your eyes, however, it will cause the other one to take a while longer to recover-"

"Heal one!" I said almost instantly.

The doctor said nothing, he must have been taken back at the sudden reply. A moment passed before he replied.

"Are you sure?" He asked slowly.

"Definitely. I'd rather retain some vision than have none at all." I replied confidently.

There was another pause, until...

"Alrighty then. Which eye do you want?" He asked.

"Right eye, if ya will mate."

"Very well."

I felt a hand place itself over my right eye, followed by a sudden tingling feeling as the doctor uttered words that I didn't understand, likely in another language. After about a minute the pain in my eye faded away.

"Alright, let's see how well that went, shall we?" Announced the doctor.

The bandages were unraveled and I opened my eyes. I waited for them to adjust to the light and looked around. At first the place looked like a normal hospital. Half-comfy bed, heart monitor, IV drip bag, screen-curtain to block the view of others, the usual. However, the walls and floor appeared to be made of marble with various details and patterns of gold instead of the boring beige, giving the vibe that I was more in a mansion than a hospital.

"Well?" Asked the doctor.

I turned to have a look at the man caring for me and was taken aback. He looked around my age, perhaps a couple years older, with sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. He was dressed in jeans, loafers, and a sleeveless T-shirt. And to complete the look, he wore a doctors coat, stethoscope included. All in all, he was just... handsome.

"Um... yeah, all good. I'm sorry but, are you a doctor?" I asked.

He laughed. "Don't let my good looks fool ya. Yes, I am a doctor."

"Your joking. At your age? You've gotta be a student or som-" I paused, noticing something that I hadn't before. His aura. It's was a more or less exact copy or Artemis', but it radiated a lesser yet similar warmth like Hestia's. "Ah. Your a god aren't you?"

He nodded. I thought of what had happened in the past few minutes. A named clicked.

"Your Apollo." I declared.

The god smiled. "Yes I am. And you are the new thorn in my sisters life." He leaned forward and began what I assumed was a routine checkup. "A two-faced enigma she calls you. A "boy" who stands guard at the edge of camp for hours upon end, almost blending into the surrounding scenery. Yet you occasionally your youth and humanity slip through when with those you trust."

I gave a small laugh. ""Two-faced enigma", I like it. Put that on a business card."

This gained another laugh from the Sun god.

He continued. "My auntie Hestia on the other hand, described you as "a young man forced to thrive in a world not his own". A being with so little flaw, for a mortal anyways. Someone who constantly does the impossible."

I rolled my eyes. "Please mate, your making me blush."

His smile vanished. "No I'm serious. First, you survive Chaos knows how many years on your own fighting monsters, you find a way to use Olympian metal in a firearm, then you escaped from the clutches of the Hunter's of Artemis. Then I heard that you fought off some of the strongest empousa without faltering to their magical charm."

All the while I sat there thinking "Damn. Even by demigod standards this is starting to sound impressive."

"After that you become the first Champion in centuries, not only to a major god, but Hestia herself. Then you apparently are unaffected by the fear that comes from viewing the legendary Aegis."

"Oh is that what Thalia's shield is?" I thought.

"And finally, the reason you are here. You gazed upon the true form of a god. A feat that, as I've said, only one other person barely survived."

I gulped. "I mean... I was losing consciousness... I didn't get a good look, so..."

The sunny smile return to the doctor-god's face.

"Yeah, but that won't sound as good on a business card huh?"

We both broke into laughter, which lasted for a good minute. Wiping a tear from my eye, I looked around.

"Aight then. So, where's me kit?" I asked, not finding anything except my cloak on a hook next to the bed.

"Just up the road in Hestia's temple." Apollo replied. "Where it's been for roughly five weeks now."

I turned to him in shock. "Fuckin', how long!?!"

[Hey Lads and Lasses! Sorry about that. I really got sidetracked so... yeah. I'd like to thank you all for the 26k reads and 380 votes. 'Till next time!]

[- Pringles out!]